EU Entry/Exit System: the legal flexibility ended on 6 September, but nine countries reportedly kept it

Update — 17 September 2026: the flexibility ended on paper, not everywhere in practice

The legal safeguard did expire on 6 September. The European Commission has not published a new legal act extending it, trans.info reported on 15 September, and the underlying EES rules are unchanged. Our original statement, that from that date every eligible traveller is enrolled in full however long the queue, now needs qualifying.

Biometric Update reported on 14 September that nine countries have informal approval to keep using the flexibility, with no new deadline set: France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Switzerland. The same report says France has confirmed its flexibility will run until the end of the year, citing Connexion France. The Commission declined to comment, according to Biometric Update. We are treating this as reported rather than confirmed: we have found no official Commission announcement of it.

What this means now: several of the hubs Indian travellers most often enter through, including Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam and Rome, are in countries reported to have that flexibility. Border posts there may still wave travellers through without full biometric capture when queues build. That is at their discretion, not something to plan around. The practical advice is unchanged: avoid minimum connection times at your first Schengen stop and keep the arrival day light. One correction to the figures below: only Frankfurt’s 120 minutes was an average; Munich’s 60 minutes and Amsterdam’s 120 minutes were maximums. The original report of 4 September follows unchanged.

What has changed (report of 4 September)

The European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES) records the entry and exit of non-EU travellers, including a facial image and fingerprints, in place of the passport stamp. It started on 12 October 2025 and became fully operational across the Schengen area on 10 April 2026, according to the European Commission.

During the rollout, member states were allowed to temporarily suspend the collection of biometric data at individual border crossings when queues became severe. Euronews reports that this emergency flexibility expired on 6 September 2026. From that date every eligible traveller is enrolled in full, however long the queue.

How much longer the checks take

Euronews, citing IATA data, says a standard passport check that used to take 20 to 25 seconds now takes about 90 seconds under EES. A Financial Times/Qsensor study it quotes measured average waits in July 2026 of 120 minutes at Frankfurt (60 minutes in July 2025), up to 60 minutes at Munich (31 minutes a year earlier) and a maximum of 120 minutes at Amsterdam (80 minutes previously).

On 1 September a Commission spokesperson said the system had “broadly worked well” over the summer, while acknowledging that adjustments were needed at certain crossing points.

What it means for Indian travellers

Indian passport holders travel to Europe on a Schengen visa and are enrolled in EES at the first Schengen border they cross. Your first EES registration takes longest, because fingerprints and a facial image are captured; later trips should be quicker. The practical advice is to avoid minimum connection times when your first Schengen stop is a hub like Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam or Paris, and to allow extra time before onward trains or transfers.

Nothing about the visa itself has changed. If you are planning Europe for the autumn, plan the arrival day as a light one.

Sources

This report is based on the following published sources. Rules and schedules change — confirm with the issuing authority before you travel.

• Travelling to Europe? EES border checks are changing from 6 September — Euronews, 04 September 2026
• Entry/Exit System (EES) — European Commission, DG Migration and Home Affairs
• EU lets 9 Schengen countries delay full EES biometric checks — Biometric Update, 14 September 2026
• EU gives nine countries more time to implement EES checks — trans.info, 15 September 2026